patrick.net

After being told last week by an employee of my local Trader Joe's that masks were no longer required for the vaccinated, and confirming this with news accounts, I tried to go shopping there without a mask today.

I was accosted on entry and told I still had to wear a mask because of California rules.

zzyzzx says

More like pacifiers.

Okay. Boots on the ground. 2 masks this entire weekend. That’s it. So fucking normal I almost jizzed my pants.

Culture is hillbilly as fuck, but if you’re looking to be “normal” I’d definitely suggest the Ozarks. Was nice to get out on the water too. Bars were packed for off season. Double or triple what we normally experience on this trip.

WookieMan says

Okay. Boots on the ground. 2 masks this entire weekend. That’s it. So fucking normal I almost jizzed my pants.

Culture is hillbilly as fuck, but if you’re looking to be “normal” I’d definitely suggest the Ozarks. Was nice to get out on the water too. Bars were packed for off season. Double or triple what we normally experience on this trip.

Where you at? Branson? That’s the hillbilly vegas... without the gambling. Honestly it’s nicer than vegas with the river and the laid back feel.

Some of my cousins attended College of the Ozarks there, where courts are now allowing men into women's showers even though it is an explicitly Christian school.

https://www.cofo.edu/Religious-Liberty

Shaman says

Where you at?

Osage Beach proper, Lake Of The Ozark is the body of water. North of Branson by a good 2 hours. I think that whole region in southern MO is just referred to as the Ozarks. Osage River is what is dammed up to create the "lake." More like a wide river in my world, but whatever.

Beside the Covid year, have been every year about 7 times, roughly the same weekend before Memorial Day. People are flocking there to be normal. 3-5x's as many people than we've ever seen and the weather was iffy the whole time, so that wasn't the reason. It's theoretically off season too. Could be stimulus money as well, but I'm sure most people have burned through that already.

Definitely hillbilly down there. But that's kind of fun from time to time. We cruise around in 56' Searay. There are some smoking hotties as dockhands and bartenders, that's for sure. Forget the bar, but Tiffany our bartender was hot as hell at a place near Bagnell Dam. The patrons at the restaurants/bars, not so much. lol. So maybe no masks wasn't a good thing.

Shaman says

Where you at? Branson? That’s the hillbilly vegas... without the gambling. Honestly it’s nicer than vegas with the river and the laid back feel.

What's the point of going to Vegas if not gambling?

https://babylonbee.com/news/my-precioooooous-hisses-liberal-tightly-clutching-mask-in-dark-cave

zzyzzx says

What's the point of going to Vegas if not gambling?

Went a few weeks ago for a competition for my cheerleader daughter. Stayed on the strip, ate at some places, and fought the crowds. Seemed busy there. I hate slot machines... annoying AF! And the card games required more time than I had to spare this time. This was my first time to Vegas without gambling at all.

Shaman says

This was my first time to Vegas without gambling at all.

Good choice. I gamble, so slightly hypocritical, but it's a waste of time. I get the thrill of it, maybe a big win, but you'll end up losing overall 98% of the time. The one big win keeps you coming back and you'll lose/give it back. Poker is about the only one with skill. And even then you face a good poker player with deep pockets, you're fucked.

Shaman says

Went a few weeks ago for a competition for my cheerleader daughter. Stayed on the strip, ate at some places, and fought the crowds.

@Shaman What percent of people were still wearing masks?

I went windsurfing for the 1st time this year at Sherman Island. Awesome wind and waves.

On the way there I stopped at the local surf shop to look around and buy a new hat. Threw on my nasty old mask. I walk in and look around for a minute when I realize the store clerk wasn't masked. I took mine off.

Conditioning works.

I am going to start walking into places and make them ask me to put on my mask.

I will put on a dramatic show of pulling it out of my pocket, dusting it off, straightening it out, and then carefully fitting it.

I will then ask, "Is this fine?"

Nasty ass masks.

Masks litter all over the place in Santa Cruz.

Nobody is masking at gyms in Florida, thank $@#$. Imagine trying to get your VO Max or bust out that last rep, going hard, wearing a mask.

Onvacation says

I am going to start walking into places and make them ask me to put on my mask.

I will put on a dramatic show of pulling it out of my pocket, dusting it off, straightening it out, and then carefully fitting it.

I will then ask, "Is this fine?"

I like this.

A little passive aggression may be just the thing.

"When the great lord rides by on his high horse, the humble peasant bows, and silently farts."

Onvacation says

I am going to start walking into places and make them ask me to put on my mask.

I will put on a dramatic show of pulling it out of my pocket, dusting it off, straightening it out, and then carefully fitting it.

I will then ask, "Is this fine?"

I've been doing this since day 1. I live in Northern Virginia about 1 mile from the See Eye A.

Ceffer says

Masks litter all over the place in Santa Cruz.

But hey SF banned plastic straws! Fucking morons.

Patrick says

@Shaman What percent of people were still wearing masks?

Probably 90% or more. Outdoors there were more, but not a lot more unmasked. Indoors there were some unmasked here and there. I walked around indoors unmasked for a while and nobody ever told me to mask up .

Atlantic City now maskless! And just in time for my Beach vacation! No I'm not going this weekend, but soon! Will report back mask usage.

https://dossier.substack.com/p/cdc-85-of-covid-19-patients-report

An underreported, recently-published CDC study adds to the pile of evidence that cloth masks or other forms of mandated face coverings only contribute negatives to our COVID-19 problem. The study also displays — despite the constant accusations of widespread misbehavior from public health officials — that Americans are adhering to mask wearing, but mask wearing is not doing us any good.

The CDC study, which surveyed symptomatic COVID-19 patients, has found that 70.6% of respondents reported “always” wearing a mask, while an additional 14.4% say they “often” wear a mask. That means a whopping 85% of infected COVID-19 patients reported habitual mask wearing. Only 3.9% of those infected said they “never” wear a face covering.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/travel/summer-shaping-up-to-be-blockbuster-at-jersey-shore/952168

Summer is shaping up to be a blockbuster rental season as pandemic restrictions ease

Booking websites like Airbnb are also seeing a boom in traffic for the Jersey Shore. “Cape May is actually a top trending destination across the entire site,” Sam Randall of Airbnb told CBS Philly, referring to the popular resort at the southeastern tip of New Jersey.

Several factors could explain the blockbuster season. Duane Watlington, who owns Vacation Rentals Ocean City NJ, told AccuWeather the pandemic has inspired people who usually travel farther distances to book a vacation closer to home.

“I think people still can't take those overseas vacations, they might be a little hesitant to fly still, so they're looking for a staycation someplace they could drive to," he said. "So not only do we have our normal people that vacation at the shore, but we've branched out and have people from Connecticut, Massachusetts -- they are coming to the Jersey Shore this year too.”

Sean Tannehill with Mark Arbeit and Co. agrees, but said interest is coming from even farther away than the Northeast. He told CBS Philly, “We’re actually getting a lot of calls from the West Coast, from California, from people where the restrictions are still tight and they’re just trying to find a way to escape and have some normalcy this summer.”

https://www.google.com/amp/s/kprcradio.iheart.com/alternate/amp/2021-01-29-texas-university-tells-students-wear-masks-during-masturbation/

Texas University Tells Students: Wear Masks During Masturbation

Booger says

Texas University Tells Students: Wear Masks During Masturbation

Why? The link looks icky.

I can understand doing your one night stand doggy style for safety, but how is maskless masturbation dangerous? Not sure I want to know.

Booger says

https://www.google.com/amp/s/kprcradio.iheart.com/alternate/amp/2021-01-29-texas-university-tells-students-wear-masks-during-masturbation/

Texas University Tells Students: Wear Masks During Masturbation

Weird kink people have for masks.

zzyzzx says

Summer is shaping up to be a blockbuster rental season as pandemic restrictions ease

From my anecdotal experience with Maui this is not fake news. Well, I suppose of my neighbors and cleaning company as well.

Not only summer but I've raised the prices for the entire year 50% over the prior 3 years, booked nearly the entire year out that way already and a few months into next year as well.

It's crazy.

I've never had so many inquires.

just_passing_through says

zzyzzx says

Summer is shaping up to be a blockbuster rental season as pandemic restrictions ease

From my anecdotal experience with Maui this is not fake news. Well, I suppose of my neighbors and cleaning company as well.

Not only summer but I've raised the prices for the entire year 50% over the prior 3 years, booked nearly the entire year out that way already and a few months into next year as well.

It's crazy.

I've never had so many inquires.

Flash in the pan. Don't expect it to keep up. I think we see a decent decline starting around October after everyone blew their stimulus wad. Not a crash (possibly) but prices are going to come back to the norm on a lot of things. A family of 4 that's never had savings got $5,600 and many/most were still working. It will take a bit, but the back end of this has the potential to be ugly.

WookieMan says

prices are going to come back to the norm

Not if Biden keeps on spending like a drunk sailor. He says if you make less than $400,000 you don't have to pay any taxes; generous mother fucker.

In the fiat money world, taxes are really about control. If the government needs wants money they just create it.

Out of thin air.

True, but it's the Federal Reserve creating the money out of thin air, and then loaning it to the government so that we have to pay it back, with interest.

Fortunately, can at least totally trust the Fed not to give quiet tips on upcoming interest rate changes to certain favored people right?

Because if they did that, certain favored people could get tremendously rich by knowing in advance how the bond market was about to move.

That would be unethical, so the Fed would never do that...

That's why I go sailing a lot.

The world may be full of injustice but it is still a nice place to be alive.

Hasta la vista.

just_passing_through says

zzyzzx says

Summer is shaping up to be a blockbuster rental season as pandemic restrictions ease

From my anecdotal experience with Maui this is not fake news. Well, I suppose of my neighbors and cleaning company as well.

Not only summer but I've raised the prices for the entire year 50% over the prior 3 years, booked nearly the entire year out that way already and a few months into next year as well.

It's crazy.

I've never had so many inquires.

Actually I was looking at summer rates and availability in Atlantic City boardwalk casino hotels and the rates are higher compared to normal. Even the marina district has high rates, but if I am going to commute to the beach I may as well stay someplace cheaper on Rt 40. The number of sold out days at the Tropicana is amazing, and even then that is including the Chelsea Tower that wasn't part of it a few years ago. That and the lack of sale emails that I normally get as well is another indicator. Showboat and Clarige kill the deal with their outrageous parking rates.

Booger says

https://www.google.com/amp/s/kprcradio.iheart.com/alternate/amp/2021-01-29-texas-university-tells-students-wear-masks-during-masturbation/

Texas University Tells Students: Wear Masks During Masturbation

And I suppose they advise using hand sanitizer as lube.

https://therightscoop.com/this-cafe-charges-extra-if-you-brag-about-getting-vaccinated-and-even-more-if-you-wear-a-mask/

A cafe in California is making news, and gathering a huge amount of support, for a new policy they instituted during the Covid vaccine era: open your mouth, pay a fine. Cover your mouth, pay another.

Fiddleheads Cafe is Mendocino, California has been fighting against Covid restrictions for a while now, trying to keep their doors open and retain their right to earn a living, engage in trade, and, you know, eat food. They’ve been fighting the government telling them to give up their livelihoods because Fauci told them to.

They have some signs available at the site for other restaurants.